It was Iowa's first co-educational institution of higher learning and the oldest of its type west of the Mississippi River.

Two campus buildings, Old Main and the Harlan-Lincoln House, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

That same month, organizing officials hired Reverend Artistides J. Heustis as the institution's first president.

[2] From February 1855, the school was known as Iowa Wesleyan University, honoring John Wesley, the founder of Methodism[1] The institution's name was modified to Iowa Wesleyan College in 1912, reflecting its contemporary status as a four-year baccalaureate degree institution of higher learning.

Facing potential closure in 2018, the university was able to continue operating after receiving donations from alumni and a $26 million loan from the United States Department of Agriculture.

In 2023, the university's board of trustees voted unanimously in favor of closure after Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds determined that a loan of $12 million would not be feasible.

[3][4] The Mount Pleasant Community School District later bought practice fields and the central part of the campus for about $1.2 million.

Beginning in late mid-1800s, Iowa Wesleyan maintained an active Military Department, in which students organized as a corps of cadets received training under the guidance of United States Army officers.